U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) is receiving strong criticism for his claim that Republicans’ budget legislation does not remove millions of Medicaid users from the program, but rather “transitions” them to employer-based health care programs.
Just slightly more than half of private employers (53%) offer health care to employees, according to KFF, and largely only to those working full-time. Many employers hire part-time workers to avoid having to pay for health care coverage. And many people who work are part of the gig economy, working at jobs that offer flexible scheduling but who are not hired as employees, and are not offered health care. Some are forced to take seasonal jobs, which can dry up in the off-season.
“People are screaming and saying, “Hey, it’s kicking people off Medicaid.’ It’s not kicking people off Medicaid. It’s transitioning from Medicaid to employer-provided healthcare,” Senator Lankford, an ordained Baptist minister, told CNBC on Thursday (video below).
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“So, yes, we’ve got 10 million people that are not going to be on Medicaid, but they then are going to be on an employer provided healthcare. We think that’s a better option for the taxpayer, and quite frankly, for their families, as well,” he added.
(Other reports have put the number of people losing health care or other benefits, such as SNAP, Medicare, and Affordable Care Act coverage, at at least 13.7 million.)
Journalist Jane Coaston called Lankford’s remarks “Huge news for companies like DoorDash that don’t provide health insurance to employees.”
Discussing the legislation’s work requirement, the Congressional Budget Office, (as HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney noted,) made clear: “Few of those disenrolled from Medicaid because of the policy would have access to and enroll in employment-based coverage and none would be eligible for the premium tax credit.”
Critics blasted the Oklahoma Republican.
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“Someone tell @SenatorLankford how many jobs don’t offer health insurance. Tell him about the cost-sharing that people making $20/hr can’t afford,” observed Dr. Rob Davidson MD, MPH, head of the Committee to Protect Health Care. “They’re so detached from the people they represent, it’s no wonder they pass laws to benefit the billionaires who get them elected.”
The Washington Post’s Benjy Sarlin asked, “So you’re going to require employers provide health coverage, right?”
Podcaster and political commentator Fred Wellman, an Army combat veteran, asked, “What the f— is he talking about? We have a gig economy. Millions of employers don’t offer healthcare. He. Is. Lying.”
“Nearly 50% of employers don’t offer healthcare benefits,” noted Oklahoma Democratic state Representative Forrest Bennett. “This messaging is meant to lull folks into a false sense of security so they don’t *rightfully* scream that Trump and his Congressional allies are indeed kicking 10+ million people off of Medicaid. Don’t buy the b——-.”
Watch the video below or at this link.
Lankford: “People are screaming and saying, ‘It’s kicking people off Medicaid.’ It’s not kicking people off Medicaid. It’s transitioning from Medicaid to employer-provided healthcare. So yes, we’ve got 10 million people that are not gonna be on Medicaid, but they then are gonna… pic.twitter.com/PkQHalchgK
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2025
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Image via Shutterstock
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